Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-01-29
A SPANISH EXPLORER.
The Flret European to Lead Party
Through Texas.

The First European to Lead a Party
Through Texas.
Written for the Gazette.
The first European to make extensive
explorations in Texas was Alvar Nurez,
who has left record of his Wanderiugs
which appeared in SPAN in 1887, and
which mas been used to advantage by II
II. Bancroft in his History of the North
Mexican S ates and Texas. He was one OF
the survivors OF party of Spaniards
numbering 24O men, besides the officers,
who for six weeks sailed in frail craft,
tempest tossed, and suffering terribly
from thirst, hunger, exposure and attacks
from warl Ike Indians, until early IN No
yember, 1927, they finally stranded on an
island off the coast of Texas. Emaciated
and W ak, the naked survivors were cast
up the waves to fall into the hands OF
the savages.
A few of the strongest survivors we're
sent TO the main land by their
fellows with orders to seek help
flom the nearest Spaniards. The re-
mainder were soon reduced from eighty
to fifteen by famine and pestilence, and
these few were enslaved by the Indians
and soon became scattered from one
another. Alyar Nurez remained on the
island a captive for more than year,
and was forced by his harsh masters to
dig roots as food from under the water.
After time, however. he was allowed
greater liberty aud betterea his condition
by trading with the natives on the main
land, travelling, naked as ne was, over
Texas tor many leagues of territory, and
exchanging shells and various articles
used on the coast for skins and other in
land product. Thus, for six years, he
Involuntary made his home at Malhade
island, for thus ne named the place OF
his misfortune.
After these years of captivity he tinslly
succeeded in escaping from his captors
with Oviedo, the only other
white survivor remaining on the
island He went down the coast,
passing four large rivers and finally en-
tered bay which he supposed was the Is
piritu Santa, discovered IN 1919. He soon
fell in with three other persons belonging
TO the original party, and these four are
the only ones who were known to have
survived of the 800 that had sailed from
Florida.
Alvar Nurez and his party, having
learned through terrible hardship 10 &C.
commodate themselves TO life IN the Will
derness, made the first extensive e1Qiora-
tons in Texas and in the adjoining SOun'
try that is known to have been made by
Europeans. His account OF their wan
behring's was republished a number OF
times in Spain, under a variety OF titles,
and WAS also translated INFO Italian,
French and English. Another narrative
exists in the report gwen by the party to
the audiences in Mexico, in 1886. al,
though both statements bear the evil
dent imprint OF the fullest good
faith they were written from mem
ory and contain many inaccuracies. They
agree in essentials, no gever, in regaEafe
the adventures of the party, but there is 8
wide difference in dates, directions and
distances. These reports are fragment,
airy and ever contradictory, out lney
throw priceless light on the condition
of Texas then
AS the Spaniards do not speak OF cross
ing the Mississippi river,as they certainly